NDLI: Biologically mediated sediment fluxes on coral reefs: sediment removal and off-reef transportation by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus

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Biologically mediated sediment fluxes on coral reefs: sediment removal and off-reef transportation by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Goatley, Christopher Harry Robert Bellwood, David R.
Copyright Year	2010
Abstract	Off-reef sediment transport by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae) was quantified on the reef crest at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Three independent methods were implemented to estimate sediment ingestion rates. These considered (1) the bite rate and bite volume, (2) the defecation rate and faecal pellet size, and (3) the average gut contents and throughput rate. The 3 methods provided a broad range of estimates of sediment ingestion from 8.8 ± 2.4, to 66.1 ± 14.4 g fish–1 d–1 (mean ± SE). Nevertheless, these estimates were comparable to rates of sediment ingestion by parrotfishes (Labridae), the other major sediment-moving group on reefs. Overall, 36.5% of all sediment ingested was transported from the upper reef crest into deeper water, equating to a removal rate of 28.6 ± 6.2 kg 100 m–2 yr–1 at the study site. By brushing the reef, C. striatus reduces the sediment loading in the epilithic algal matrix (EAM) while causing little damage to the algal turf. Reducing sediments in EAMs provides favourable settlement surfaces for benthic organisms and increases the palatability of the EAM to herbivorous reef fishes, thus supporting reef resilience. The ecological importance of C. striatus, which is abundant on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, appears to have been underestimated, particularly when considering reef sediment dynamics.
Starting Page	237
Ending Page	245
Page Count	9
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.3354/meps08761
Volume Number	415
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/15173/1/Goatley_and_Bellwood_2010_MEPS.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2010/415/m415p237.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08761
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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